She had two paid days off and the judge said that despite it being for a dog, the university’s rules say she can take them for “serious or family personal reasons.”

Animal activists told The Telegraph that the ruling showed that Italy believes that pets are “members of the family” and that the case will set an important precedent.

“It is a significant step forward that recognized that animals that are not kept for financial gain or their working ability are effectively members of the family,” Gianluca Felicetti, the president of the Italian Anti-Vivisection League, told The Telegraph.

The lawyers used Italy’s laws to support their case citing that anyone who abandons an animal to “grave suffering” be sentenced to jail for a year and fined up to 10,000 Euros or nearly $12,000, The Guardian reported.

Valerie Couch raised Spam since he was a piglet, and while the family has other animals, they all play nice together. She said that whoever took Spam didn’t realize how important he was to them.

“It’s just sad somebody would do this,” Couch told Cleveland’s WEWS. “My guess is they just want to sell him and make some money. But you know, he’s part of our family. Keep the electronics, but don’t take somebody’s pet.”

While pieces of jewelry and a camera were also stolen, the family is heartbroken about their lost animal. A GPS lead from one of their electronics may have tracked some of the items, but so far, Spam has not been found.

The Couches are offering $200 for any information that leads to the safe return of their 15-pound pet.

Detroit Pit Crew Dog Rescue was called and took the dog to a veterinarian to be examined. The dog, named Parlay by her rescuers, did not appear to be injured from her harrowing dumpster journey. She also is heartworm negative and is not pregnant, though rescuer Theresa Sumpter told WXYZ that she thinks Parlay may have given birth recently.

Sumpter said she frequently sees dogs being abandoned after giving birth. She said the person who placed Parlay in the dumpster was, "really an idiot, truly a moron."

Parlay exhibits sweet and gentle behavior. She can be seen receiving a bath in a video posted on the Detroit Pit Crew Dog Rescue Facebook page. Parlay will spend time in a foster home until she is medically cleared, and then will be available for adoption.

According to HotTopics.TV, Aaron Jayjack describes himself as a storm chaser and outdoorsman in his Twitter bio. According to a video posted over the weekend, he was in Runge, Texas, chasing Hurricane Harvey when a dog jumped into his car.

Because many people stayed behind – and died – during Hurricane Katrina because they were fearful that they wouldn’t be able to bring their animals to shelters, this time around, authorities are welcoming the pets with open arms.

Gary Walters, his fiancee Amanda Giese, and her two children were traveling from Yellowstone National Park to Island Park around 11 p.m. when they struck a bison on U.S. Highway 20 at mile marker 403 near Idaho Highway 87. The family’s truck rolled multiple times and two of the three family dogs were ejected from the vehicle.